Thanks to Euphoria, more young people than ever are seeking help for addiction

UK addiction charities have seen a notable rise in young people seeking help for substance abuse – and it’s all thanks to Euphoria.

While US organisations like D.A.R.E. (Drug Abuse Resistance Education) have openly criticised the drama for supposedly “glamourising” destructive behaviours, the UK Addiction Treatment Group (UKAT) have said this isn’t the case.

Speaking out about their grievances with Euphoria, D.A.R.E. said: “Rather than further each parent’s desire to keep their children safe from the potentially horrific consequences of drug abuse and other high-risk behaviour… Euphoria chooses to misguidedly glorify and erroneously depict high school student drug use.”

UKAT praised Euphoria for its gritty portrayal of drug misuse, highlighting the importance of showing children and teens experiencing these problems, too.

Photo via HBO

According to Metro, head consultant for UKAT Nino Albuquerque said: “What shows like Euphoria do is to raise awareness of young people and children experiencing and, in some cases, struggling with mature life situations like drug misuse.

“Thankfully there has been a small rise in the number of young people getting in touch with our support services asking for help and guidance.”

He emphasised the seriousness of dismissing young people with substance abuse issues. “It’s naive of society to believe our younger generation don’t use and abuse substances, or to think we can always protect them,” he said. “If shows like Euphoria manage to encourage even one person to reach out and ask for help, then that’s wonderful.”

Photo via HBO

Viewers of Euphoria from the UK and US have contested D.A.R.E.’s comments about the show’s drug depiction. “Can’t believe some people watch Euphoria and see how Rue suffers every episode and still think yeah, they’re encouraging drug use,” one person tweeted.

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Featured image via HBO.